Fireworks of the future will be lit-up drones, Intel CEO says

Drones will replace fireworks, Brian Krzanich has predicted – and here's the
Guinness World Record to prove it

Loud fireworks that keep you up at night and fill the sky with smoke will become a thing of the past thanks to drones, the chief executive of Intel has predicted.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Brian Krzanich said Intel was "able to completely redefine the firework experience".

He said: "I see a future where fireworks and all their risks of smoke and dirt are a thing of the past, and they’re replaced by shows that have unlimited creativity and potential - and powered by drones.”

To prove his point, Intel set a Guinness World Record for the most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) airborne simultaneously.

"It's not always the drones that look at you – sometimes, it's the drones you should be looking at"

Martin Morth, chief pilot

The 3D light show featured 100 drones being launched into the air, synced to a live performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. They were controlled by four people on the ground.

The "Drone 100" display ended with the orchestra playing the familiar "du-duh du-duh" tone as the colourful drones took the shape of the Intel logo.

The drones took the form of the Intel logo

"As soon as you say drone, people immediately think 'dangerous' – but it isn't really, it can be beautiful," Horst Hoertner, senior director of Ars FutureLab, which built Drone 100 with Intel, explained.

Martin Morth, chief pilot, said: "It's not always the drones that look at you – sometimes, it's the drones that you should be looking at."

While this is the first time that fireworks have been made out of drones, the two have met before.